A recently popular sport, snowboarding presents operating conditions and physical demands not found in other skiing-type sports. In snowboarding, the operator stands with both feet on the snowboard, somewhat similar to a slalom water ski. However, in waterskiing, the operator is pulled in a single direction by a power boat. The strength and positioning requirements of the attachment apparatus used for securing the operator's feet to the ski are therefore quite limited.
In snowboarding, since the motive force is provided by gravity as the rider travels down a hill, the rider is able to and often must assume body positions not often found in other sports. Specifically, the angle between the midline of the foot and the midline of the snowboard is often greatly altered for different snowboarding styles, such as acrobatics or simple traveling, and for different athletes.
It is often the case that either a boot worn by the rider or the binding itself will be provided with a support for the lower leg just above the ankle. However, when the angle of the midline of the foot with respect to the board is changed, this can also change the angle between the leg and the foot. Currently, a simple, rigid support that is merely perpendicular to the board and aligned along the midline of the foot is used. Some of these supports have the capability to fold down against the snowboard surface. Other degrees of freedom are available, but only by disassembly and reassembly of the binding and snowboard.
Different riders also have differing requirements as to the distance between the two bindings on the board as well as the binding's position with respect to the lateral dimension of the board.
Thus it is an object of the invention to provide a boot binding system for a snowboard that has several degrees of freedom along the surface of the board.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a boot binding system providing freedom about a normal to the surface of the board.
It is yet another object of the invention that the boot binding system be collapsible for storage and transport.
It is a still further object of the invention that the boot binding system be simple and cost effective to manufacture, yet reliable and efficient in use.